BACK ON HOME TURF
Redblacks return to Lansdowne to meet Lions
A taxi carrying Travis Lulay and some B.C. Lions teammates to Lansdowne Park detoured around a street flooded by heavy rain, and a lightning strike caused a tree branch to fall on a car right in front of them.
Things got strange that night inside TD Place stadium, too.
Sandwiched by two Lions tacklers, Ottawa Redblacks tailback Chevon Walker fumbled at the goal-line and had his left arm broken. His 2014 Canadian Football League season was over.
With about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, another brief, but heavy downpour contributed significantly to a botched field-goal attempt, denying the Redblacks an opportunity to take a lead. The threat of lightning then forced a 23-minute delay.
After play resumed, a water-slicked football popped out of Lulay’s hand. Teammate Kirby Fabien recovered the fumble, but Lulay had been caught up in the scramble and reinjured his surgically repaired right shoulder. His season was over, too.
The Lions ended up beating the Redblacks 7-5 in the lowestscoring CFL game since 1979.
Understandably, Walker and Lulay share an interest in hoping for better weather when the teams meet on Saturday evening.
“For that to happen, and the way the season was going, it took a lot away from me,” Walker said Friday after the Redblacks’ pre-game walk-through. “I’m just happy to be back out here with my teammates. I’m ready to go and excited.”
Walker played in last week’s opener against the Montreal Alouettes, rushing for 52 yards, catching passes for 26 and returning kickoffs for 76 as the Redblacks won 20-16.
However, Saturday’s contest will be the first on home turf this year because stadium commitments to the Women’s World Cup of soccer forced the Redblacks to shift training camp to Carleton University and to play preseason games at Hamilton and Quebec City.
“I’m pretty sure the guys feel the same way I feel,” Walker said. “It’s a relief to be back home in our stadium and be back in front of our fans to get things rolling.”
“Rolling” might take a while, but taming the Lions would allow the Redblacks to match their Season 1 victory total.
Lulay obviously would prefer a different result, and he and his teammates have the benefit of having seen the Redblacks at work last week in Montreal. B.C. had a Week 1 bye, so Ottawa players and coaches must base their assessments of the system introduced by new Lions head coach Jeff Tedford on preseason games.
“We had a pretty good respect for Ottawa’s defence even a year ago,” Lulay said by phone before the Lions flew to the national capital. “Their defence held them in a lot of football games. They didn’t win as many as they certainly could have.”
Lulay, 31, didn’t have surgery following the latest injury, but rehab allowed him to resume light throwing last fall. He said he felt 85-90 per cent during April mini-camp and has continued to become more and more comfortable.
He says he can play at the level required and desired, even with a new offensive system.
“I have run it for essentially one half of football,” Lulay said, referring to his 8-for-13 performance in a June 19 test against the Edmonton Eskimos. “We are going to continue as a group and on a personal level to prepare and get better as the season goes on.”
The Lions are generally healthy for their season opener. Receiver Courtney Taylor (hamstring) and defensive tackle Zach Minter (calf ) didn’t make the trip, joining three others on the one-game injured list, two on the six game list and one (backup QB John Beck) on the disabled list.
Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell confirmed a relative flurry of roster changes Friday.
Heading to the one-game injured list were running back Jeremiah Johnson and fullback Patrick Lavoie, while defensive tackle Connor Williams went on the disabled list. Previously announced injuries landed linebacker Travis Brown (shoulder) and safety Jermaine Robinson (broken wrist) on the six-game list.
Shifting onto the active roster from the one-game injured list were fullback Jefferson Court, linebacker Malik Jackson and defensive linemen Andrew Marshall and Jonathan Williams. Recently signed running back/ returner Jock Sanders comes off the practice roster to replace Johnson, while Brandyn Thompson starts in Robinson’s place.
“There’s a certain level of confidence,” Campbell said of his 1-0 team, "but we are fully aware that we have to be at our best in order to beat people.
“These home games are important and we know we’re in for a big challenge tomorrow night, but we plan on being up for it.”